Acupuncture & Physical Therapy Clinic

Herbal Treatments

Alongside acupuncture, herbal medicine is the other major pillar of Chinese medicine. Herbal preparations have long been used in China, and there is evidence from as far back as 2000 B.C. of a shamanic culture that used plant, mineral, and animal substances to treat ailments. Over the succeeding centuries the use of such substances was refined and developed: by about A.D. 659 a comprehensive "materia medica," which listed the herbal components and described their actions and properties, was beginning to emerge.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine share the same underlying theories and principles, but the description of how herbs work comprise a subtle component of the theoretical blueprint. Herbs tend to be highly specific in their actions, and herbal formulae contain a range of herbs that not only possess different qualities and properties but also target different aspects of the patient's disharmony. In addition, certain individual herbs address several different functions at the same time. Overall, the herbal practitioner has to weigh up many factors when preparing a formula, but the benefits for the patients can be substantial.